Newcastle Crown Court Sentencing Results

Kallan Hamilton, 23, climbed onto the roof of the Cairn Hotel on Osborne Road, Newcastle, in May 2025, after police attended to recall his licence due to a restraining order. He refused to come down, drank vodka, threw bricks at police officers, caused approximately £10,000 in damage to a car belonging to a woman whose husband was critically ill in a nearby hospital, damaged hotel property by pulling out cable wiring and kicking a business sign, and led to the road being closed for over eight hours while the hotel was evacuated.

Elton Bekteshi was caught by police during a raid on a property in Hetton-le-Hole, where 141 cannabis plants worth between £12,000 and £57,000 were discovered. He had paid £20,000 to enter the UK illegally and was working at the cannabis farm to repay the debt, acting as the gardener for two months. He tried to flee and was found hiding in the loft area.

David Walton, 62, of Felling, offered to pay a drug-addict victim £400 to retract her statement to police in his son's case. The victim had accused Walton's son of two offences, and Walton agreed to pay an initial £200 and another £200 after the trial. He drove the woman to the police station in his work van, which he was not insured to drive and from which he was disqualified, instructing her to delete text messages and not take her phone. She appeared distressed, made the retraction statement, and later revealed the arrangement to police.

Wayne Justice, 44, of Wallsend, was subject to an indefinite restraining order after previous stalking convictions. Upon release, he immediately contacted the victim via Facebook and Snapchat, leading to further breaches.

In June 2024, Waseem Afzal made unwanted advances towards a vulnerable woman with mental health issues while they were in Jesmond Dene. When she rejected him, he attacked her, punching her and causing multiple facial fractures, swelling to her face and head, and bruising to other parts of her body. She was taken to the hospital, where she required several days of treatment, and has since experienced ongoing pain, night terrors, and significant trauma.

Joe Mills, 27, of Newcastle, was on police bail when he cut his electronic tag in January 2025. Following his arrest, he was taken to the Royal Victoria Infirmary after claiming to have drugs up his anus. During his time at the hospital, he became angry, shouted, and attempted to escape custody by leaping over a glass panel onto a ledge, threatening to jump. This action led to a ward being shut down for almost an hour, requiring additional police and fire brigade attendance, and caused significant inconvenience.

Linton Mwingi, a 28-year-old from Dene Avenue in Lemington, failed to comply with the Sex Offenders' Register by not informing police that he was sometimes staying at a home with three children, despite telling the mother about his past. He also failed to report two bank cards and that he was not always living at his usual address. This incident occurred around September 2024, when his risk management officer visited his home and confirmed he was not residing there. Financial checks revealed a bank account linked to an address in Sunderland, where items belonging to him were found. He had a prior conviction in 2021 for the same type of offence and was originally convicted in 2016 for sexual assault.

Stephen Batey, in a pattern of aggression including during a birthday trip, broke his girlfriend's jaw by striking her hard after she confronted him about cheating via a text message, requiring her to undergo surgery, amid ongoing controlling behaviour.

Peter Lamb, of Gateshead, set up and registered two cover companies with warehouses in the North East of England to import artificial grass from mainland Europe. He made approximately 15 trips to Amsterdam in 2023 as part of the preparation. In May 2024, customs officers in Holland discovered concealed compartments in the artificial grass rolls containing cocaine. Subsequent raids on Lamb's warehouses revealed evidence from 20 shipments, including 1.5 tonnes of cocaine worth £120 million at street level. The cocaine was hidden in the rolls, with one overlooked kilo found in an empty hide. Lamb accepted delivery of tampered consignments and was arrested.

Thomas Grant stabbed a man in the chest with a Stanley knife during a fight outside a pub in Byker, Newcastle, on June 8, 2024. The incident began when the victim and his colleagues were outside the pub and noticed Grant's dog appeared scared while he was arguing with a woman. Grant became angry, a altercation ensued, and as he retreated across the road, he used the knife to inflict a 5cm wound to the victim's upper chest, above his heart. The blade did not penetrate major organs, but the victim required seven stitches and has been left with physical and emotional scars.

Chloe Bell, after drinking during Ladies Day at Newcastle Racecourse in July of the previous year, got into an argument with her ex-partner's mother, who was babysitting. A scuffle ensued, during which Bell pushed the victim down four concrete outdoor steps, causing a head wound requiring six staples, hand injuries, bruises, and an open laceration to the arm. The victim, aged 59, was close to Bell and suffered emotional distress as well as physical injuries.

Gary Slator attacked his then-friend with a machete, swinging at his head during an incident in December 2021. The victim raised his hand to protect himself, resulting in the blade cutting his hand in half and causing permanent, irreversible injury. Slator was in a mental health crisis, had taken drugs and a great deal of alcohol, and the attack occurred outside his house.

Mark Hansen covertly filmed young girls getting undressed, including one through a gap in curtains at Haven Holiday Centre in Northumberland in 2022. Police seized his phone in September 2022 and found dozens of indecent images downloaded over seven years, with victims aged between four and early teens. Additional recordings included filming through windows and at locations like Flamingo Land, where he captured footage without the victims' knowledge.

On January 11, 2024, Sam Garbutt became verbally aggressive towards his then-partner while she was watching TV. He put both hands around her neck and squeezed tightly, causing her to struggle to breathe. He then covered her mouth with one hand while maintaining his grip on her throat. She bit his hand to escape, but he squeezed harder before she managed to get away and call emergency services. The incident was recorded on her phone, which was described as 'harrowing'. The victim suffered pain in her neck for weeks, experienced flashbacks, and struggled with trust issues.

Eric Drinkald physically assaulted his partner in November by punching, slapping, and striking her with a curtain pole and a hoover attachment, causing bruising and swelling. He threw a can of lager at her during the incident. Following their split, he engaged in a campaign of stalking, sending persistent abusive and threatening messages and calls. On New Year's Day, he threatened to smash her windows, attack her home, and burn her car, while comparing himself to Raoul Moat, which left her terrified for her safety and that of her family. This behaviour forced her to change her address and impacted her mental health.

On March 7, Daniel Percy argued with his father over the phone, threatening to kill him, and then arrived at his parents' home in Walbottle, Newcastle, with a loaded air pistol. He banged on the door, appeared to load the weapon, and made threats, causing his father to fear for his life. Percy was arrested after driving away, and the air pistol was found ready to fire with a pellet in the barrel.

Stephen Adams, 25, of Hebburn, sent a Snapchat friend request to an undercover police officer posing as a 14-year-old boy. Between November 6 and 12, he engaged in highly sexual conversations, discussed meeting for sex, and asked questions such as whether the boy was okay with the age difference and how to sneak out. He suggested meeting at the boy's home while his mother was at work and requested photographs of the boy's pants. Adams arranged to meet the 'boy' and was arrested upon arrival at the location.

Kristofer Mawhinney engaged in a three-year relationship where he initially showered the victim with affection but later became excessively jealous, controlling, and violent. He monitored her movements, accused her of cheating, and physically assaulted her on multiple occasions, including strangling her in a hotel in March and beating her in his home in July, which left her with bruising around both eyes and hair pulled out. He also entered her home uninvited, encouraged her to hide her injuries, and continued to contact her despite her attempts to end the relationship.

Kai Bell, of Newcastle, sent explicit pictures and videos to decoys posing as 12-year-old girls and arranged to meet them with the intention of committing further offences. He was arrested in June 2024 and charged in September 2024 after breaching bail conditions. The offences involved communicating with multiple decoys from vigilante groups, believing them to be real children.

On December 26, 2023, Richie Jefferson, after consuming 16 double vodkas in three hours, launched an unprovoked and animalistic attack on a stranger in a busy pub in Blyth, Northumberland. The victim, who had been standing in the pub for about 20 minutes, was struck multiple times, resulting in severe facial injuries including a laceration to the forehead, a cut to the nose, a broken nose, and permanent scarring. The victim was covered in blood and has since experienced emotional distress, PTSD, fear of going out alone, and difficulties with daily activities like running and cycling due to breathing issues. There was no evidence of a weapon being used, though CCTV showed a flurry of blows.

Jonpaul Elessar invited a vulnerable man, who was stranded and wearing only shorts, to his home in Washington. The man asked Elessar to turn off his cameras and was given a drink, after which he became unconscious, possibly due to drugs including GHB. While the victim was unconscious and naked, Elessar took a photograph of him, performed a sex act on him, and sent the image to another man. Police later found two indecent images of children on Elessar's phone. The victim reported feeling violated, humiliated, and emotionally harmed.

On October 19, 2024, Alan Straughan, while acting as a carer for a vulnerable woman he had known for around six years, became angry when she asked him to call her dog in from the garden. He leaned over her, strangled her with both hands for about a minute, causing her to struggle to breathe and fear for her life. After she poked him to make him stop, he threatened to do it again and poured a drink over her head. The victim suffered soreness and tenderness to her neck and reported feeling shaken and frightened of being alone.